Hudson Catholic holds off Freedom in the final game of the LV Hoop Group Showcase

Coach Joe Stellato said the No. 1 goal for his Freedom boys basketball team is to get into the Lehigh Valley Conference tournament and this is the week that will likely make or break those hopes.

But as a tuneup for critical road games at Emmaus and Easton on Tuesday and Thursday respectively, the Patriots spent Sunday night playing Hudson Catholic of Jersey City, N.Y., in the fifth and final game of the 18th annual Lehigh Valley Hoop Group Showcase at Parkland.

Freedom didn't get a victory over the highly-touted Hawks, falling 53-46, but they might have gained some confidence that could be useful in the big games later this week.

"I hate losing no matter what, but this one was out of league against a real good team," Stellato said. "We'll take some good things out of it. I love the fact that we took the ball hard to the hole and David Williams went hard to the basket. That's huge for us. We boxed out on the boards, handled their pressure … we had a lot of good stuff."

Williams was honored as his team's MVP after compiling 16 points and eight rebounds.

But against a Hudson Catholic team that is 18-1 and ranked among the top five teams in New Jersey by various organizations and in the top-25 nationally, Freedom simply didn't shoot well enough on a consistent basis to pull off the upset.

The Patriots (11-7) were just 3-for-17 from the field in the first quarter, 7-for-30 in the opening half and never found an offensive rhythm in being held under 50 points for just the third time all season and the first time since a 62-42 loss to Central Catholic on Jan. 3.

Jackson, Freedom's leading scorer at 17.4 points per game, was limited to three field goals and his first didn't come until a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter.

"He's our go-to guy offensively and they did a real nice job of shutting him off," Stellato said. "We didn't do a very good job of getting him open with screens and other things. He was forcing things because they were pushing him out and pushing him out."

And, as Stellato noted: "Emmaus is going to face-guard him as well and push him out, so we've got to figure out how to get him open."

Still, Freedom was able to hang with Hudson, trailing only 43-38 with 2:40 left.

But then Georgetown recruit Reggie Cameron rebounded his own miss for a basket and a three-point play by Safee Sabur pushed the margin to nine and the Pates, playing their third game in four nights, couldn't mount another charge.

Cameron finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

"As a coach you hate to say anybody's better than you, but Hudson was quick and real good," Stellato said. "We struggled getting shots up and getting open shots. But I was proud of the guys with how they battled."

Hoop Group president Rob Kennedy, was also pleased with how all three local teams performed in the showcase. At least three of the five games on Sunday's card were competitive and Parkland also had its moments in defeat against The Patrick School.

"Even though they lost, both Parkland and Freedom played well and I thought the games were good and people here got to see some terrific guys who are going on to play in the Big East and ACC," Kennedy said. "Obviously, the Abington Heights-Gill St. Bernards game was a terrific game that went down to the last shot.

"And JC Show of Abington Heights is a high, major player and [Villanova coach] Jay Wright was here to watch him play. Hopefully, Abington Heights will be back here next year when JC's a senior."

And there's no doubt that the Hoop Group will be back as the event that has brought 24 future NBA players to the Valley continues to resonate with local fans.

"This is still a great area for high school sports," Kennedy said. "People get into their high school teams, which is great. Some places in this country, you'll go to a top-25 game and nobody cares. Here, they still care."